Chapter 1

"Potatoes," I said, still dazed.

Perry Clayton glanced at the kitchen counter. A potato lay there, chopped into a mess.

He rubbed the top of my head, his voice a little helpless.

"Sit down."

He took off his suit jacket, rolled up his shirt sleeves, and went into the kitchen.

Soon, I heard the quick, steady sound of him cutting potatoes.

Comments flooded my vision:

[Help, the male lead is giving devoted husband vibes.]

[He's swamped with work, but he still rushed home to cut potatoes for his wife. I'm starting to envy that whiny side character.]

[Please. Isn't she just relying on the fact that her family helped him financially years ago? Without that debt, she wouldn't even be fit to shine his shoes.]

My nails dug deep into my palms.

Why wasn't I, Susan Warren, good enough for Perry?

Seven years ago, someone set Perry up. His investors pulled out at the last minute, and suppliers gathered outside his company demanding payment.

The bank refused to give him a loan.

He shut himself in his office for three days and nights.

My family was already bankrupt by then, but I swallowed my pride and went to the socialites I used to meet for afternoon tea.

Instead, they pushed a bottle of wine toward me.

"Twenty thousand dollars per bottle."

I endured the humiliation and drank thirteen bottles in a row. I ended up in the emergency room with a bleeding stomach.

I wasn't good enough for him?

What a joke.

Before long, a plate of stir-fried shredded potatoes appeared in front of me.

Perry held my hand and checked the cut again, his eyes full of concern.

"Does it still hurt? Next time you want something to eat, wait for me to come home and make it. If you can't wait, order delivery.

"I'll get you a bandage. Try to keep it dry for the next couple of days."

Perry looked serious and focused as he put the bandage on my finger.

But the comments said that one day, he would break my arms and legs for another woman and lock me in a psychiatric hospital.

The thought weighed on my chest.

I couldn't help asking,

"Is the company hiring anyone right now?"

Perry paused.

"HR handles that. Why do you ask?"

I was about to tell him not to hire any women for now when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it." Perry stood up.

The moment he opened the door, a timid female voice reached me.

"Mr. Clayton."

It was Lynn Yates.

Perry and I paid for her education because her family couldn't afford it.

Once Perry became successful, he said he wanted to carry on the kindness my parents had shown him.

I personally looked into Lynn's circumstances and chose to support her.

She often visited during the holidays and brought gifts from her hometown.

I frequently bought her new clothes and visited her at school, taking her out for a good meal and treating her almost like a younger sister.

I was about to get up and greet her with a smile when the comments suddenly went wild:

[Ahhh, it's our girl! She's finally old enough to get together with the male lead. Hehe.]

[Our girl looks so poor next to the side character in her designer clothes. I feel so bad for her.]

[Don't worry. Once she's with the male lead, she'll wear nothing but couture he buys her. After the divorce, the side character will be digging through dumpsters.]

My heart sank.

The girl they kept calling "our girl" was Lynn.

Perry took the woven plastic sack from Lynn's hands and led her inside.